Friend
by Happiness's Deceit
Summary: Pre massacre.  Sasuke has a new friend over.  Itachi doesn't like him.  Itachi really doesn't like him. Itachi knows he'll be a bad friend.  What does he do to remedy this?


_Naruto does not belong to me, but to it's creators and/or publishers._

* * *

**Friend**

* * *

"Itachi! Itaaa-chi!" Sasuke whined lightly, tugging on his brother's pants. "I want you to meet my new friend!" His dark eyes implored his brother for agreement. 

When that didn't work, a tiny pout formed and he huffed.

His brother, in the middle of a conversation with two other _nin_, paused, turning to his little brother.

"Sasuke, I'm talking to someone right now. Can it wait?"

"No!" The child announced.

"Well, then," Itachi turned dark eyes onto his acquaintances, "you heard him. Why are you still here?" The last sentence had a dark underlying tone to it, and regardless of the phrasing, it was most certainly a command.

One _nin_, older than Itachi and obviously with something important to say, protested, "But—"

"Ah, okay." The other said cheerfully. He couldn't help but be amused by the fact that this Uchiha _child_ was enough to make the famous Uchiha Itachi drop something that dealt with his position as a _nin_. They were interesting. "When shall we drop by again, Itachi-_san_?"

"Kakashi-_san_!" The first _nin_ shouted, this time at the other guest. "This is an important message directly from _Sandaime-sama!_" He was obviously harried. "I cannot _believe _that you could—"

"_Leave_."

The command was blunt this time, and with increasing malice, Kakashi noticed. So he hooked one arm within his partner's and bowed very lightly, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile, and said, "Right, right. See you later, Itachi-_san_."

The statement was a challenge, but Itachi didn't respond, to Kakashi's disappointment. Nevertheless, he pulled the other _nin_ behind him, all the while keeping his mind on the two brothers.

Itachi watched their retreating backs with no small amount of suspicion, but a tug on his pants reminded him of the situation at hand.

"My friend is coming soon! And he really wanted to meet you, _aniki!_"

Sasuke is bubbling, brimming with laughter and joy, and his face is so bright that Itachi cannot bring himself to say—

"All right, Sasuke." And Itachi frowns at his lack of resolve, because what does he care about one of his brother's friends? But he has said yes, and so he adds, "But I want to speak to him alone."

It implies more than one thing, but Itachi doesn't really care. All he wants is to get this over with; it _doesn't_ matter that Sasuke is smiling at him now and it _doesn't_ matter that his heart is warming at the sight and it _doesn't_ matter that he is beginning to smile.

Really.

So Itachi lets himself be dragged into one of the rooms for entertaining guests, and when he hears his mother shout, "Sasuke! Guest!" before opening the door, he cannot help but tense.

He also cannot help the _kunai_ that he clenches under the table as he awaits this…_friend._

* * *

The so-called friend is in front of him now, Sasuke off to help their mother with the tea. His name is Kurosaki Ryou, or something of the sort, and Itachi can immediately tell that he is not the kind of person who he wants Sasuke associating himself with. 

The older _nin_ raised an eyebrow as he took in the '_friend's_ appearance.

A messy, loose black shirt, _untucked_ into the equally messy _tan_ shorts, the black hair, tied into a topknot (that reminds Itachi of a mushroom cloud) and a dopey grin. Overall, his attire and presence was sloppy at best, and Itachi knew that this boy had probably manipulated Sasuke into letting him come over.

Very well then, he thought, a smirk stretching over thin lips.

_Ryou_ looked delighted at this, and began to take to conversation.

"So, um, you're Itachi, yeah?"

"Mm." Itachi's eyes watched the other male's face carefully. "And you are…?"

"Ryou!" The grin was back. It irritated Itachi to no end. "I'm Kurosaki Ryou! One of Sasuke's friends!"

The last statement was said to remind Itachi that he should be polite, but it was wasted. Itachi had no reason to be polite to _this_ male. But it wouldn't hurt to test the waters out a bit.

"Ah. How did you meet?"

"Oh! Yeah, we met at the academy…he's in my class, y'know, so, uh, and I'd heard about you and he was really good, and, um…"

"I see. And Sasuke is doing well in his class?"

"Yeah, he's tip top."

"And yourself…?"

"Erm, I'm, uh, I wanted Sasuke to help me study so I could learn summa his tricks, y'know, for studying? 'Cause he always gets the best grades and uh."

Itachi wasn't pleased. "So you're a typical, backstabbing, annoyance that wants to leech on him? I suppose that's all right." The _kunai_ came out from beneath the table, and Itachi stood, eyes the bright red of the _Sharingan_. He frowned, and advanced. "Just remember not to scream. You might bite off your tongue."

* * *

Sasuke isn't sure why his friend left that day, but Itachi had been very adamant about him having remembered something to do. 

So instead he waited, watching his brother's eyes carefully, and accepted it as truth. It didn't explain, however, why Itachi seemed so smug every time Ryou's name came up, or why the boy was avoiding him in class.

And then, he approached Ryou one day during lunch break.

"Ryou! Why'd you leave?" The question is asked innocently, happily, and Sasuke has a small, shy smile that accompanies it.

Ryou froze.

-

**"_Don't worry. It will only hurt a little bit in the beginning. Then it'll hurt a _lot_."_**

_-_

"Ah! Sasuke! Is that Ken calling? Ah, I'll talk to you later!" He ran as fast as his small legs could take him, towards a friend that Sasuke was _quite_ sure had not been calling him.

Sasuke pouted.

And above them in the trees, Itachi nodded once.

* * *

_Um, I've been writing a lot of angst for them, so…something a bit more…on the light side? And the idea of overprotective!Itachi cracks me up. I do apologize to anyone named Kurosaki or Ryou, though. Comments?_


End file.
